Saturday, 1 January 2011

New Year, New You

Or so the tired cliché goes. But we all know that, in reality, the January detox will succumb to that last tray of mince pies; the exercise resolution will be called off (although you promise yourself temporarily) in a deluge of rain showers; and the commitments to stop smoking, be nicer to people, work harder, love better, will all disappear in the grey winter light. It is just another month, after all.

However, there is something more positive that you can do to you give yourself a sense of purpose and direction, to navigate your way through the monotony of daily life, if you will. I propose writing a 2011 'To Do List"; a checklist for all those dreams and aspirations that you feel absolutely should be achieved in the coming year. For me, a list that encapsulates the entire year is just another step up from the ones I jot down everywhere: work lists, present lists, shopping lists, ideas lists... it's immensely satisfying to cross something off a list, knowing that that one more thing, however tiny, has been accomplished.

My To Do List, carefully noted down in my brand new Moleskine: it deals with dreams, wants and absolute must haves. To achieve everything I want to achieve in 2011 is a big ask- the list is long and far from exhaustive. It ricochets from the very personal to the extremely banal, the exciting to the inevitable; however, as I carefully check every last thing off my (very long) list throughout the coming year, I know I am heading where I want to go.